Theme: There are many good English translations of the Bible, and we should
use a variety of them to help us understand God’s Word as accurately as
possible.
I.
Introduction – Some Great Bible Verses
A. Read some bible verses together
B. The languages of the inspired Biblical writings
1. Hebrew – almost the entire OT
2. Aramaic – portions of Daniel and Ezra
3. Greek – the entire NT
C. Key questions regarding Bible translation
1. How did Bible translation begin?
2. How does Bible translation work?
3. Can I trust my English translations?
4. Which translations should I use?
II.
A Brief History of Bible Translation
A. Translation: A key difference between Christianity
and Islam
1. Islam does not translate the Qu’ran – it can only
be read in the original Arabic
2. Christianity has always translated the Scriptures
into the language of the people it was trying to
reach
B. Early Bible translations
1. Septuagint (LXX) – Greek translation of the OT
2. Aramaic targums – loose translations and
commentaries on the OT
3. Syriac, including the Peshitta – translations of the
OT and NT into Syriac – a language similar to
Aramaic
4. Coptic – translations of the OT and NT into the
language of Egypt
5. Latin, including the Vulgate – translations of the
OT and NT into Latin, the official and dominant
language of the Western half of the Roman
Empire. Jerome created the Vulgate at the
request of the Pope.
C. A major change for the worse
1. As time progressed, Latin became dominant in
the West, and Islam began to conquer the East
2. This had the effect of stopping missionary activity
in the East, while in the West the church began to
oppose translating the Bible into the language of
the people
3. A few translations were made, such as the one by
John Wycliffe, but these were generally opposed
by the Church
4. As time progressed, Greek and Hebrew were
virtually lost in the West
5. The few translations done in the West prior to the
Renaissance had been done using the Latin
(rather than the Hebrew and Greek) as the source
text
D. Factors leading to the rebirth of Bible translation
1. The fall of Constantinople and the Renaissance
led to a rebirth of the Greek and Hebrew
languages in the West
2. The printing press – books could now be printed
cheaply and accurately
3. The Reformation - a desire to translate the Bible
into the language of the common man
E. The modern explosion in Bible translation
1. Beginning with Luther and the Reformation there
has been an explosion of Bible translations
2. Wycliffe Bible Translators and the current Bible
translation movement – trying to get the Bible into
the language of every people group
III.
How Bible Translation Works
A. Important steps in translation
1. Which books will be translated? (canonization)
2. Which manuscripts will be consulted? (textual
criticism)
3. What theory of translation will be followed?
B. Which books will be translated?
1. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions
will contain the Deutero-canonical books
2. Protestant versions will usually not include the
Deutero-canonical books
3. Some Protestant versions have included the
Deutero-canonical books separately (KJV, RSV)
C. Which manuscripts will be consulted?
1. Virtually all modern translations base the OT
primarily on the Masoretic text
2. Virtually all modern translations consult other
ancient versions (LXX, Samaritan Pentateuch,
etc) and will occasionally follow them against the
Masoretic Text
3. Most modern translations use an eclectic NT text,
choosing the manuscripts that seem best to the
translators
4. In general, most modern translations give priority
to the Alexandrian text over the
Byzantine/Majority text
5. The key exception to this rule is the New King
James Version which gives priority to the Majority
text
6. Most modern translations will footnote any major
differences between the manuscripts
D. Which theory of translation will be used?
1. Three major theories: essentially literal, dynamic
equivalence, paraphrase
2. Essentially literal (word for word)
a. Definition – “An essentially literal translation
translated the meaning of every word in the original
language, understood correctly in context, into its
nearest English equivalent, and attempts to
express the result with ordinary English word order
and style, as far as that is possible without
distorting the meaning of the original…The main
point is that essentially literal translations attempt to
represent the meaning of every word in the original
in some way or other in the resulting translation.”
Wayne Grudem, Translating Truth, 20.
b. Examples of essentially literal translations: King
James, New King James, Revised Standard, New
Revised Standard, New American Standard,
English Standard
c. Advantages of essentially literal translation
i. Keeps full meaning of text – even secondary
nuances
ii. More consistent translations of Greek and
Hebrew words – more helpful for word studies
d. Disadvantages of essentially literal translation
i. More difficult to read – in many versions the
English is not as smooth, and unfamiliar words
and metaphors are often used
ii. Misunderstanding can occur if people do not
understand the words and metaphors being
used
3. Dynamic equivalence (though for thought)
a. Definition – “A dynamic-equivalence translation can
also be called a thought-for-thought translation…In
making a thought-for-thought translation, the
translators must do their best to enter into the
thought patterns of the ancient authors and to
present the same ideas, connotations, and effects
in the receptor language.” From the Introduction to
the New Living Translation.
b. Dynamic equivalence translations do not attempt to
translate every word, but rather give the meaning of
every thought (though most words will be
translated).
c. Examples of dynamic equivalence translations:
New International Version, Today’s New
International Version, The New Living Translation,
Contemporary English Version, the Good News
Bible
d. Advantages of dynamic equivalence translation
i. The translations produced by this method are
easier to read and understand, and generally are
written in smoother English
ii. These translations make it easy to understand
the central meaning of a verse
e. Disadvantages of dynamic equivalence translation
i. Nuances and secondary meanings of the verse
are often lost, especially when comparing with
other verses having the same underlying words
or phrases in the original languages.
ii. This method requires more interpretation by the
translator than an essentially literal translation
4. Paraphrase
a. Definition – A paraphrase or free translation is a
loose rendering, usually from the same language,
which intends to convey the meaning of the original
document in an easier to understand version.
b. Paraphrases or free translations are most
concerned with a fresh way to express the meaning
of the passage, and are generally not concerned to
translate each underlying word or even phrase from
the original language
c. Examples of paraphrase or free translations: the
Living Bible, the Message
d. Advantages of paraphrase or free translation
i. Translations produced by this method will
usually be very original and may cause the
reader to take more notice of the passage
e. Disadvantages of paraphrase or free translation
i. These translations are highly interpretive
ii. These translations have no concern for
translating each underlying word or phrase and
so are not good for study purposes
5. Comparison of different translation methods
a. Some common renderings of 2 Corinthians 5:14
i. NASB - For the love of Christ controls us, having
concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all
died;
ii. NIV - For Christ's love compels us, because we
are convinced that one died for all, and therefore
all died.
iii. NLT - Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since
we believe that Christ died for all, we also
believe that we have all died to our old life.
iv. Message - Christ's love has moved me to such
extremes. His love has the first and last word in
everything we do. Our firm decision is to work
from this focused center: One man died for
everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.
b. Some common renderings of 1 Corinthians 7:27
i. NASB - Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to
be released. Are you released from a wife? Do
not seek a wife.
ii. NIV - Are you married? Do not seek a divorce.
Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.
iii. NLT - If you have a wife, do not seek to end the
marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek
to get married.
iv. Message - Are you married? Stay married. Are
you unmarried? Don't get married.
IV.
How To Choose and Effectively Use Bible
Translations Today
A. Some introductory comments
1. There is no such thing as a perfect translation –
language is simply too complex
2. Due to the fact that languages change, all
translations will have to be updated over time
3. All translations involve some amount
interpretation by the translator, although there is
much less of this in essentially literal translations
4. No translation is perfectly “word for word”, nor is
any translation perfectly “thought for thought” or a
complete free rendering. All exist on a spectrum.
See the chart below.
B. Choosing the right translations for use
1. If you can not read Greek and Hebrew, you
should use several different English translations
2. You should choose translations which use
different translation methods. Note the graphic
below, and choose translations from different
parts of the continuum.
3. Your main Bible should be one of the translations
on the left half of the graphic. I would not
recommend anything less essentially literal than
the NIV for your regular Bible.
4. You should have at least one translation that is
based on a different set of manuscripts (if you
main Bible is the NIV, have either the King James
or New King James as well), or at the minimum
pay careful attention to the translation notes given
in the margins/footnotes.
5. Use or consult essentially literal translations for
serious study
6. It is helpful to sometimes use a paraphrase to
“shock” you into paying attention to the passage.
Essentially Literal Dynamic Equivalence
Paraphrase
The Message
Living Bible
Contemporary English Version
New Living Translation
New International Version
New Revised Standard Version
New King James Version
English Standard Version
New American Standard Bible
Interlinear Bible
C. Getting the most out of your Bible
1. Read the introduction – most of them are quite
informative on how the translation was created –
which manuscripts were used, what translation
theory was followed, how footnotes/marginal
notes work in the Bible, how the Divine Name
YHWH is printed, etc.
2. Although you will have one version that is your
favorite, use several versions in your study, and
occasionally use a different version for reading.
This will ensure that you are not missing anything
and will help you to see the Scripture more
accurately.
3. Use good Bible helps – commentaries,
introductions, Bible encyclopedias, Bible
dictionaries, etc.
4. Read and study the Scripture prayerfully, and with
your whole heart AND mind. God deserves no
less!
V.
Conclusion & Summary
A. We live in a great time to be a man or woman of the
Word
1. God’s inspired Word has been preserved, passed
down, and given to us through the sacrificial work
on countless thousands of men and women who
have sacrificed much that we might have God’s
Word.
2. We have more manuscripts available than ever
before to make sure that the Bible we have is the
Bible Jesus and the Apostles had!
3. We have more translations available to make
sure that we can accurately understand the
fullness of God’s Word to us
4. We have great Bible tools and teachers available
to help us understand and apply God’s Word
B. Be a man or woman of the Word!